Parables of Wisdom
The Babool Tree
बबूल का पेड़ · બાવળનું ઝાડ
Mitali wants the prickly tree gone, until she sees what it guards
- 4 min full story
- 2 min children's telling
- For all ages
On a summer visit to her grandmother's village in Kutch, Mitali steps on a babool thorn and wants the tree cut down. Her grandmother asks her to wait one season before deciding.
What it teaches Patience Looking deeper Ahimsa
The opening of the children's telling
Every summer, Mitali went to stay with her Ba, her grandmother, in a little village. Beside Ba's gate stood an old babool tree, full of long white thorns.
On the first morning, Mitali ran outside with no chappals on. Ouch! A thorn went into her foot. Ba took it out gently. "That tree is horrible," said Mitali. "Can we cut it down?"
Read the whole story See plans
To carry into the day
Before we judge something prickly, we can wait and watch to see what it protects.
To talk about together
Do you know someone who seems prickly at first but is kind and protective underneath?
Retold for JainStory from the traditional narrative and checked against published Jain sources. Details vary between tellings.